The Anniversary Waltz
by talesmith
Summary: As fate would have it Phryne and Jack celebrate their 10th Anniversary


**The Anniversary Waltz**

For the Hon. Phrynee Fisher the only thing better than swimming and thinking is pondering as you walk along the foreshore. Phryne is doing just that as she softly sings:

"Are the stars out tonight?"

"I don't know if it's cloudy or bright"

"I only have eyes for you, dear."

"The moon may be high"

"But I can't see a thing in the sky"

"I only have eyes for you"

"I don't know if we're in a garden"

"Or on a crowded avenue"

"You are here and so am I"

"Maybe millions of people go by"

"But they all disappear from view"

"And I only have eyes for you"

as she thinks of her detective inspector with that boyish little grin of his who still makes her knees go weak when he enters a room. Yes, Jack Robinson, the honorable man with the gentle heart who won her over, all those years ago, with his flawless integrity, infinite patience and unending love. A love, both passionate and tender that deepens and sweetens with each new sunrise so emotional in scope that "Rachmaninoff's 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" might come to mind.

Suddenly, Phryne is pulled from her musing as a dark grey cloud envelopes the buttercup sun and drops its wet payload all over her little chunk of planet Earth sending her scurrying and now pondering about cubits and gopher-wood.

What a deluge, Phryne is soaked to the bare by the time she reaches her front door and is yanked into the safe haven of the hallway of her beloved bijou house before she even has time to reach for the door handle.

Peeking out from under the towel that is being feverishly rubbed over her head Phryne pleads "Dot, please stop, old thing, as you are making me quite dizzy. It's not like I've never gotten caught in the rain before."

"Right as rain miss it's not but it's usually summer and not winter when you can catch yourself a death." ("And you're not getting any younger miss", Dot decides to leave unspoken)

"When will you ever stop worrying about me Dot?"

"Probably never miss. Now let's get you upstairs and out of these wet things so that you can warm up by the fire"

There is no doubt that Phryne is the boss, however, it is times like this that make her feel like she is six. So, like a good girl she clambers up the steps after Dot trying not to drip a watery trail along the way.

Dot now satisfied with Phryne in warm jammies and robe, seated by the fire snugly tucked under a pink and green plaid comforter goes to fetch some hot oolong tea and ginger biscuits for her adored Miss Phryne.

Pouting, Phryne thinks Jeepers! What's the earthshaker? I only got caught in the rain for pity sakes …_sigh._

Lickety-split, Dot comes scooting back into the room juggling a tray full of goodies which she places on a mahogany side table next to Phryne. She quickly embellishes a cup of oolong with honey and lemon and directs Phryne to drink it down chop-chop.

Poor Dot looks so damn serious Phryne decides to humor her and does exactly as told (one for the annals) and then she patiently suggests " Dot do sit and have some tea before you have a nervous breakdown. I promise you we will get through this without one little cough, sniffle or sneeze nor shall I shrink from my usual 5,2."

Quietly standing in the hallway, Jack tamps down wanting to laugh so bad as he watches Dot hover over Phryne like a mother hen and bossing her all about while Phryne skillfully hides behind her I am paying attention face and not hearing one iota of her companions lecture.

So making a little throat clearing noise that he picked up from Mr. Butler, Jack enters the room acknowledging the women as he ambles over to stand behind Phrynes lounge chair.

Now in better mood Dot exchanges pleasantries with Jack and makes sure her Miss Phryne is all right before she pleads things to do and places to go and vanishes from the room so rapidly that Mr. Butler himself would be impressed.

Suddenly alone Jack folds himself over the chaise lounge and gently kisses Phryne atop her shiny black cap as she inquires "How on earth did you manage to not get ambushed at the front door, have a towel thrown over your head and rubbed like a genies lamp and then banished to your room and stuffed into your jammies and robe faster than a speeding bullet?"

"Easy as pie my pretty. Unlike my darling wife of ten years, I was prepared with hat, coat and umbrella to keep me dry. Besides, good old Hugh dropped me off in front of the house and I dashed to the front door before collecting too many drops. As we speak, Dot is probably next door ambushing Hugh at their front door and putting him through her motherly routine. Which, I suspect he loves dearly and can't get enough of."

"I'm so impressed with you darling for allowing Dot to hover knowing how much you hate being fussed over."

"And I'm impressed with you managing to avoid being ambushed, darling. Now how would my handsome husband, of ten years, like to hop into bed with me and see if we can impress each other some more? We have an hour or so before we need to get ready for our party sweetheart."

The proposal has barely been uttered when a three-piece suit, jammies and robe go catapulting into orbit and Phryne and Jack launch themselves into their green silk clad bed in search of new horizons and melodic rhapsodies.

Bathed, scented, combed, brushed, dressed to the nines and highly invigorated after their little tumble among green sheets the deeply in love pair share one last abysmal kiss before leaving for their 10th anniversary party. This year their special day is to be a black tie event hosted by Aunt Prudence at Solstice Manor, her country estate. Phryne and Jack were shooting for something a little more low-key but as long as family and friends can share in their celebration they are willing to fly to the moon or over the rainbow as long as they can all be together.

Meanwhile at Solstice Manor Aunt Prudence is busy collecting and herding everybody into the great room while Mr. Butler sees to the orchestra setting up in the ballroom. Mrs. Stanley has grown so fond of her niece and her husband that she has spared no cost in making sure Phryne and Jack have an astronomical night…. Beloved friends and family, catered buffet, three-tier cake in sun, moon and stars motif with a rainbow of ten colored slender tapers on top, an open bar, dancing along to all their favorite songs provided by a stellar orchestra culminating with a fireworks show at midnight that will challenge the great luminaries in the sky.

Speaking of luminaries, the brilliant and quick-witted couple light up the enormous space of the great room as they make their much awaited entrance.. Phryne stunning in her sequined black silk taffeta gown, white elbow length gloves, diamond necklace and matching drop earrings topped off with a white gold and diamond chain headpiece. Jack is the epitome of debonair in his black tuxedo and white waistcoat decorated by an antique gold watch chain with moonstone fob. He is finished off to perfection with a white calla boutonniere that Phryne lovingly added after she had tied his black silk bow tie and smoothed his wide lapels.

Everybody in the room can't help but notice when these two look into each others eyes they create an aura that glows so bright it outshines all else in the universe. Phryne whispers "Love you" and Jack softly replies "Love you more", their signature saying, and she gently places her hand on his arm as they gracefully move on to greet family and friends.

After much well wishing and words of wisdom the loving pair officially open the festivities by dancing to Moonlight Serenade, encouraging others to join in as they waltz and spin around the romantically lighted ballroom. Mac used an assortment of perfectly placed electrical fixtures and countless candles to create this cosmic effect for her favorite pair. Many years ago she had helped them to hear the love laced tunes of Eros and they have been waltzing through life ever since. Mac realizes that she is one of destinies pawns but still feels responsible for this perfect match even though long ago and far away the Fates had decided this pair would eventually tangle. So for Phryne and Jack their waltz through time and space will never end for during their first embrace, fate paused while Eros fine tuned this destined pairs hearts to beat as one in ¾ time ad infinitum.

Next, Jack waltzes Aunt Prudence around the ballroom to Somewhere Over the Rainbow as he watches Phryne twirl and glitter around the room, looking like she's been sprinkled in star-dust, as she dances with Bert looking rather smart in his dreaded tuxedo. Along with the many couples in attendance, Dot and Hugh and Cec and Alice also dance by all decked out in their finest and obviously very much in love too.

The orchestra goes on to play favorites like "Blue Moon","Moonglow", "Red Sails in the Sunset","Stardust", "Deep Purple", "Mood Indigo", "In the Mood", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Night and Day","If I Didn't Care", "Embraceable You", "My Prayer", "All of Me", "With A Song In My Heart", "I'm In The Mood For Love" and of course dozens of requests. Phryne, Jack and guests revel in dancing the night away in between feasting from a delectable buffet of assorted meats, fish, fowl, cheeses and salads and enjoying imbibing copious flutes of bubbly chilled champagne.

Much later Jane, dressed in a cornflower blue silk party dress, towing a tuexedo clad Arthur and Mac, snakes through the ballroom leading a laughing group of friends and family in a conga line stepping to "Cielito Lindo" the Xavier Cugat rendition. A very young at heart Phryne and Jack, not missing a beat, quickly join the line as the evening is fast approaching pumpkin time.

As midnight resounds throughout the room, announced by grandfather clock, the evening surprisingly continues with the unexpected fireworks show that leaves the merry makers all agape at the brightly colored spectacle, lighting up the inky night sky, competing with all the constellations and managing to upstage Vega who is particularly bright this night.

As the fireworks fizzle out now officially ending the gala evening Aunt Prudence realizing tomorrow being Saturday, when all can sleep in, approaches the orchestra leader with a change of plans. He excitedly announces, to the upbeat group, that there will be an extra set of songs to bring the evening to a close so grab yourself a dance partner. Firstly the band begins to play Waltzing Matilda and everybody dances to this beloved tune…..Jack, Phryne, friends, family and all the staff. Even Mr. Butler dances as Mrs. Stanley, well fortified by a bit of the bubbly, drags him out on the dance floor and they waltz and toddle around the room while singing at the top of their lungs as they join in with the many out of tune but extremely happy voices.

Sometime later, just before the last song of the evening, the orchestra leader asks the partiers to stand back and make space on the dance floor as the band begins playing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love Baby" and Jack waltzes his darling lady detective around the dance floor. Looking into her beautiful blue-green eyes, twinkling brighter than any star in the sky, he still can't believe that she chose him above all other men. Men who could give her the world on a string, a strand of perfect pearls, titles and riches far beyond his means yet she chose him, Jack Robinson, the man who could only give her all of his love in the offering.

* * *

**_Authors note:_** _The Anniversary Waltz initially began as a sequel to The Doctor's In Let The Odyssey Begin but due to various reasons, I decided to let it stand alone instead._


End file.
